1066 is the most famous date in English history. On 14 October, on Senlac Hill near Hastings, a battle was fought that would change the face of England forever. Over the next twenty years, Norman culture was imposed on England, and English politics and society were radically reshaped. But how much is really known about William 'the Conqueror', the Norman duke who led his men to victory on that autumn Saturday in what was to be the last successful invasion of England? Mark Hagger here takes...

Southern England. Late summer 1940. The nation is fighting for its very survival and the Luftwaffe's aerial offensive is unrelenting. All that lies between invasion and salvation for Britain is the 'thin blue line' of RAF Fighter Command and its pilots.This newly illustrated anniversary edition of Life as a Battle of Britain Pilot reveals what it was like to fly a fighter plane in the Battle of Britain. Who were the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots of 1940? H...

Which king's guards massacred a group of his supporters by mistake? Who had an oversized tongue and had to slobber when they ate food? Who was so large when they died that they had to be buried in a square coffin? Who survived seven assassination attempts? As you can tell from the bizarre questions above, it wasn't all thrones and sceptres for British kings and queens. Some of them were completely batty, and others were downright vicious. On the other hand, some monarchs were an icon to th...

An exploration of the British monarchy from the retreat of the Romans up until the modern day. This compendium volume of two earlier books is fully revised and updated.The monarchy is one of Britain’s longest surviving institutions – as well as one of its most tumultuous and revered. In this masterful book, David Starkey looks at the monarchy as a whole, charting its history from Roman times, to the Wars of the Roses, the chaos of the Civil War, the fall of Charles I and Cromwell's...

Stephen's reign was one of the darkest periods of English history. He had promised Henry I that he would support the king's daughter, Matilda, as the rightful heir to the English throne, but when Henry dies in December 1135 he broke his promise and quickly made himself king. Like many of the nobles, he was unwilling to yield the crown to a woman. Civil wars and the battle for the English Crown dominated his reign, and this fascinating book examines the conflict between Ste...

The illustrated book covers all Kings and Queens of England from the first Anglo-Saxon Kings to the current queen, Elizabeth II. It describes how the Crown changed hands as a result of conquest and how the Crown has battled Parliament.Audience:Intended for everyone interested in History of England.FEATURES:- Fully illustrated - Search for words or phrases - Navigate from Table of Contents or read page by page - Add Bookmarks - Designed for optimal navigation on electronic devices with a sm...

The future William II was born in the late 1050s, the third son of William the Conqueror. The younger William nicknamed Rufus because of his ruddy cheeks at first had not great expectations of succeeding to the throne. The situation changed when Robert, the Conqueror's eldest son, repeatedly rebelled against his father, and Richard, the king's second son, died tragically at the age of just 14. When the Conqueror was dying in 1087, he designated William as heir to the Engli...

An authoritative and accessible history of the kings and queens of England from the warrior kings of the Dark Ages to King Charles III.The lives of the kings and queens of England include some of the most dramatic episodes in the history of Great Britain.Whether it's William the Conqueror's slaying of Harold Godwinson, Henry VIII's readiness to behead his unfortunate wives, Elizabeth I's chastity, or the glamour of the young Elizabeth II, these monarchs hol...

Legend and lore surround the history of kings Richard and John, from the ballads of Robin Hood and the novels of Sir Walter Scott to Hollywood movies and television. In the myth-making, King Richard, defender of Christendom in the Holy Land, was the "good king," and his younger brother John was the evil usurper of the kingdom, who lost not only the Crown jewels but also the power of the crown. How much, though, do these popular stereotypes correspond with reality? Frank McLynn, known for a...

England, 1154. As Henry II seizes the throne after years of turmoil, a new dynasty is poised to haul this hitherto turbulent nation out from the Dark Ages and transform it into the nation state we recognize today. Featuring some of England's greatest but also most notorious kings, the house of Plantagenet would reign for over 300 blood-soaked, yet foundational, years.The dynasty provides some of the most evocative names in our history: from the brave yet rash Richard the Lionheart,...

This book reveals the true identity of Arthur, and locates his courts and long-forgotten battle sites such as Badon and Camlan. It also uncovers the secret of the mysterious Isle of Avalon and Arthur's resting place in a Breton church. The authors present a convincing and conclusive answer to the puzzle of King Arthur. Glossary of terms in Welsh and English. Bibliography. Index. 78 illustrations.

King John long ago acquired the epithet 'Bad,' and he is reputed to be the worst of England's kings. Before his death in 1216, his desperate exploitation of his subjects for ever more money had turned him into the mythical monster of Hollywood legend. In marked contrast to his brother Richard, John appeared incompetent in battle, failing to defend Normandy (1202-04), and was unsuccessful in recovering his lost lands in 1214. A continuing crisis was a constant need...